Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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Water, Water Everywhere, but For How Long? When I returned to California once again in 1978, The purpose was quite different in that I was to be a small farmer. The way I looked at my environment was indeed also quite different. I already knew that this state had at most very few months of rain And that agriculture depended mostly on its many aquifers. These waters had remained eternally deep under the Earth's surface, Until about the early 1900's when the first deep-water wells invaded below. I also knew that California had no regulations On well construction and the numbers thereof. Thus, it struck me deeply during my first forays into ag land, Witnessing field after field being watered with a torrent of sprinklers. My first thoughts went deep down to the unseen aquifers below, Wondering how long this kingdom of agriculture would survive. Thankfully, 10 years ago, to most, the invisible Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was passed, Which started to regulate the amount of water taken out To match that which comes in. Lands taken out of agriculture are now harboring Native species of plant and animal, as well as buffering flooding. More recently, added to this was the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program, A support plan for the transition toward a smaller irrigated footprint. The great question is, of course, are these efforts far too late, Or will those in charge be able to make definitive decisions-- Or will food demands, economy, and political party mantras Overwhelm reason and empirical evidence guiding outcomes, Driving our way of life, as we know it, to simply collapse, unnecessarily? I have witnessed the loss of historical forests in easternTurkiye As well as loss of the water table in now parched lands of India. Frank Maurer 25 October 2024 1450 Hours.